


The Logic of Weapons

by SeleneLaufeyson



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Feels, First Kiss, Former Jim/Spock, Former Lovers - Freeform, Former Spock/Uhura, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26726416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneLaufeyson/pseuds/SeleneLaufeyson
Summary: In the past three years, Spock had seen a fair amount of Weapons Experts come and go, most not lasting longer than a few months. Most of them didn’t get along with the crew (Jim), so when StarFleet contacted the Enterprise with information that they finally found a good fit for the crew (Jim), he was skeptical.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, Spock/Original Vulcan Character(s)
Kudos: 10





	The Logic of Weapons

In the past three years Spock had seen a fair number of Weapons Experts come and go, most not lasting longer than a few months. The majority of them didn’t get along with the crew (Jim), so when StarFleet contacted the Enterprise with information that they finally found a good fit for the crew (Jim), he was skeptical. They were instructed to dock back at StarFleet's base on Earth to meet and pick up the new crew member for their upcoming 5-year mission.

* * *

Spock was standing at a small, round table in the corner of a slightly crowded bar the crew had dragged him to. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t meet the new crew member in a more professional setting. He had settled to read on his PADD, trying to drown out the noise, about the person they were there to meet. Jim came over with two drinks, fully expecting Spock to reject his, like he often does.

“I got you a drink, or got myself two actually, since you’re clearly in work mode. What’re you reading?” he glanced at the device and placed a drink in front of Spock.

“I am reading information and background in regards to our Weapons Expert, something the Captain should have done already,” Spock said without looking up from the PADD. His disinterest in the drink was cue enough for Jim to pour it in his glass and start drinking.

“Smartass. Just give me a rundown. Points of interest, what do I need to know?” he looked around at the crew enjoying themselves. Spock cleared his throat and Jim turned his attention back to him.

“All points are points of interest for the Captain. She graduated in the top tenth percentile of her class, speaks 5 human languages and 7 non-human languages, has experience as a fighting instructor, has created several hybrid weapons with highly ranked engineers, and has no experience on a Fleet ship,” he paused and raised an eyebrow, something that Jim learned meant he was intrigued or surprised by something. “She also has Vulcan heritage,” he said with an almost curious tone. Jim finished his drink and gave Spock a hard pat on the shoulder.

“Well there ya go, she’ll probably be quality. And hopefully nothing like you,” he laughed. Spock chose not to acknowledge the comment and continued reading.

On the other side of the room, Sulu and Chekov were standing at a slightly bigger table chatting about common interests. Someone tapped on Sulu’s shoulder and he looked back to find the face of an old Academy friend.

“Guess who’s on your ship!” the woman exclaimed. Sulu pulled her into a hug and laughed. She returned the hug joyfully.

“No way! It’s been so long, how are you?” he turned back to the table and nodded to Chekov, “Oh sorry, this is Chekov, he’s on the bridge with me and an excellent crew member.”

“Hi, names Cara,” she held out her hand and he shook it.

“Hello! Nice to meet you.” Chekov smiled and nodded a thank you at Sulu’s complement. Sulu grabbed her shoulder and shook it lightly, something they used to do back at the Academy when they got excited about something.

“So? How did you end up with us?” he asked as he looked her over. Her hair was much longer than before, reaching down to her waist. It was also still being colored; it was a shade of auburn now. Another drink was placed in front of him.

“Honestly I have no fucking idea. I was barely informed an hour ago that I was being assigned to a ship, and they told me to meet you guys here. I haven’t even had time to figure out who else is on the ship. I don’t even remember applying to be on a ship? I’m pretty sure they just shoved me on this one, knowing I’d say no if they gave me more of a warning.” She grabbed Sulu’s drink and downed it. “Seriously though, five years? Five years? I’m going to lose my mind! I’m not equipped for space travel at all.” Sulu sighed at the loss of his drink and quickly waved at the waitress for another.

“You probably will. I’m surprised you didn’t get more notice. As far as I know, they told us about a week ago,” he shrugged, “Captain and First Office are over there,” he waved vaguely over in their direction. She looked at both of them and took a moment to process Jim’s presence. She turned back around and sighed dramatically.

“Ok yea I slept with Kirk while I was in the Academy. He was the one that got sick like halfway through and passed out, I told you about it!!” she exclaimed and lightly smacked his arm. Sulu burst out laughing. He remembered when she told him the next day about the guy who couldn’t finish because he was wasted then threw up all over her bathroom and passed out.

“You’re serious?” he said between laughs. Chekov was trying to picture Jim passed out on the floor in his own vomit and laughed a bit himself.

“Unfortunately yes. But the chances of him remembering are slim, he was so wasted.” She nodded at the waitress for a drink when she gave Sulu another one.

“Cara?” Kirk asked from behind her. She sighed and spun around.

“Hi Jim, surprised you remember,” she raised an eyebrow. Sulu was holding in his laughter and Jim glared at him. Spock took in the social cues.

“I take it you two don’t have a good history?”

“I personally think it’s hilarious now, but at the time it was a nightmare,” she responded. She quickly looked Spock over and stood a bit straighter. “But if you’re worried about us working together, you shouldn’t be. He just had too much to drink, we’ve all been there.” Jim nodded but Spock disagreed.

“I assure you I have not ‘been there’,” he said with an odd tone.

“Yea that seems right,” she chuckled. Jim looked at her closely and looked confused.

“So, you’re Vulcan?? You don’t look Vulcan, I mean the ears and your eyebrows, they’re human looking,” he gestured to face. She rolled her eyes while smirking and glanced at Spock who was clearly internally scolding Jim.

“No, well yes, kinda. My grandfather was Vulcan, my dad was half, I am a third I guess? I know the language and some traditions but I’m not sure I really qualify as a real Vulcan,” she shrugged and loosely crossed her arms.

“Spock does and he’s only half,” Jim said. Cara once again studied Spock and nodded.

“Yea but he looks like a Vulcan, I just look like a human,” she shrugged again. “Well I guess I’ll see you guys on the bridge in a few days. I’ve been assigned to Alpha shift, something else they told me an hour ago.” She had to hold back an eye roll.

“Yes and um, can we keep that story between us?” Jim asked. Sulu started laughing again and Chekov was focusing all his energy on looking at his drink. “And these two, apparently.”

“We’ll see,” she winked and smirked. He sighed and walked off.

“I will see you on the Alpha shift,” Spock nodded politely to her before following Kirk. She turned back around to the table and Sulu sighed.

“I know that look.”

“What look? There’s no look,” she said defensively.

“Oh yes there is. That’s the look when you want someone, and given you’ve already had Kirk, it has to be Spock,” he said. Chekov nearly choked on his drink.

“I would never!” He raised an eyebrow knowingly. “Ok fine shut up. But it doesn’t matter, that’s one path I will not even try to pursue. You know I’ve never had any luck with Vulcan’s, I’m not wasting my time.” She finally was given a drink and began chugging it.

“Technically he’s half.”

“Like that’ll make a difference. Whatever gift my grandmother had with Vulcan men, I do not have it,” she said with a tone. Chekov collected himself and spoke up.

“He vas vith Uhura, and she is human.” Sulu nodded in agreement.

“I’m sure there was a logical reason for that. Really it doesn’t matter. Look but don’t touch ya know?” she paused and cleared her throat, “So who’s Uhura?”

* * *

Cara was finishing unpacking and setting up her room when the door chimed, indicating that someone was there. She went over to it, stumbling over a chair that was out of place, and the door slid open. There was some slight surprise on her face when she saw Spock standing there with his arms behind his back.

“Oh hey, this is somewhat unexpected,” she shuffled aside to let him in. He nodded a thank you and entered, the door sliding shut behind him.

“It is important that I properly acquaint myself with crew members who we will be working closely with. I also wanted to ensure you were settling in well, given you have no experience on a ship and were informed of this transfer last minute.” He looked around the room and took note of exotic flowers she owned, as well as some of the Earthly wall-decor. She walked over to the chair and slid under the table.

“I think I’m alright, nearly done putting my stuff away. Trying to get a feel of the room and the ship; it’s a bit different from apartment living, considering my place was much larger. I probably will wander around a bit later on before getting rest for the Alpha shift tomorrow.” She looked around the room to see what was left for her to unpack. Everything seemed done, aside from one duffle bag on the bed.

“You seem settled. I believe it would be beneficial if I showed you around the ship, as I know it quite well.” He adjusted his hands and waited for a response. She chuckled lightly.

“Should I change into uniform or are my casual clothes acceptable for exploration?” she looked down at her sweats.

“They are quite acceptable as you do not officially start until tomorrow. I do have one condition, though.”

“What’s the condition?” she crossed her arms loosely.

“I would like you to tell me the details about your encounter with the Captain. It is important for me to understand the nature of your relationship should tension arise on the bridge,” he spoke very cooly, but she had her suspicions about his true intentions. She sighed and sat on the bed.

“Sit down then,” she chuckled. He sat next to her on the bed and waited patiently, placing his hands on his lap. Part of her wanted to see how long he’d wait but decided against it. “So, back in the Academy I would go out on weekends, as one normally does, and was at a bar drinking when he came up to me and started flirting. He was hot and I was drunk so I wasn’t against it. We eventually made it back to my place and kept drinking, and I had no idea how drunk he actually was. He kinda,” she moved her hands weirdly and laughed a bit, “couldn’t really perform in bed, lots of guys can’t when they drink too much. Doubt you’ve ever experienced that,” she said with a slightly different tone and glanced away quickly, “Then, he ran to the bathroom, threw up, and passed out. Needless to say it was not a successful night,” she laughed. Spock looked like he was holding back a smile at the image.

“That is, an interesting story. I am aware of Jim’s sexual exploits, which he does continue on occasion still. I will be sure to keep this information to myself.”

“Is he really still sleeping around? Damn good for him,” she laughed and stood. “I do believe you owe me a ship tour now.” She went over to the closet and slipped on some shoes.

“You are correct.” He stood and led her out of the room. The majority of his tour was just him giving her more information than necessary about everything on the ship, and the occasional crew member introduction. What seemed to be Spock’s favorite places were the science lab, where his experiments were, and the observation bridge, where he could study the stars and planets. Her experience growing up with a Vulcan grandfather made it a bit easier to tell when he was emoting. However, she didn’t believe he gave a tour to every single new crew member and was trying to figure out what his interest in her was.

After his detailed tour, he walked her back to her room but did not enter.

"If you have other areas of curiosity or question, I am available at your convenience. Until then, I will see you for the Alpha shift,” he nodded politely and walked away. She watched him go and went inside her room. She shoved the duffle bag onto the floor, leapt onto the bed, and messaged Sulu about what just happened.

* * *

Alpha shift wasn’t terribly early, but she was a bit tired since Sulu came over to get more details about her encounter with Spock. Her assigned uniform was dark blue since she was technically a part of the operations unit, but she had the top and pants rather than the dress.

As she stood in the lift, she had some slight nerves about being on bridge with Jim and Spock. While her and Jim were on good terms, there would most likely be some awkwardness at first. As for Spock, she was unsure about how their interactions would be.

The doors slid open and she walked onto the bridge. Jim was already in his chair drinking what she assumed was coffee, Sulu was getting the ship ready for warp, Chekov was running logistics, and a few other crew members were going about their duties. She nodded to Kirk as she walked past him and took her place next to Chekov. Spock entered the bridge a few moments later and went to his position.

“Mr. Sulu, are we ready?” Jim asked.

“Ready venever you are, Captain.”

“Great. Punch it.” Sulu activated warp drive and they were off. Cara got slightly dizzy at first and gripped her chair lightly. Spock noticed.

“Are you alright?” he inquired. She spun her chair around to face him.

“Yea I’ll be fine, just not used to this so it was a bit disorienting,” she smiled reassuringly. “I’ll get used to it, no worries.” She spun back around and began her tasks for the day, figuring doing work would assure him she was ok. He didn’t mention it again but she could tell he would glance over to her every so often to see how she was fairing.

* * *

After the shift, Sulu and her were in her room having some wine and chatting on the bed.

“Maybe it’s because you’re part Vulcan? I doubt he’s met any other half or partial, so he’s probably just trying to figure out how human you are or something,” Sulu said with a shrug.

“Yea but he never asked about any of that, he would only ask if I knew about something and then when I didn’t, he’d explain it in great detail. Like immense detail. Like I know too much about this ship for only having been here two days.” She sipped her drink and pulled her leg up to sit more comfortably. He leaned against the headboard and thought.

“Maybe he likes you,” he said with a playful tone and an eyebrow wiggle.

“Oh please, he’s probably just trying to integrate me into the crew so you don’t have to get a replacement, _again_ ,” she chuckled. Spock had mentioned to her that they had trouble finding someone who fit in with the crew on the bridge, mainly because Jim was, as he said, difficult.

“Or integrate you into his bedroom,” he said with a wink. They both laughed and she rolled her eyes.

“Yea right! I’m sure he’d just ask me if his intention was to fuck me. He seems like a straight-forward individual.” The door chimed and they both looked to it surprised.

“5 drinks say it’s him,” he bet.

“10 say it’s not!” She leapt up and went over to the door. It slid open and there stood Spock, with his hands behind his back again. He noticed Sulu on the bed.

"I apologize for the intrusion; I can return later.” Cara was going to respond but Sulu stood and beat her to it.

“No worries Spock, I was just heading out.” He set his drink on her bedside table and paused as he slid past her, “You owe me drinks,” he chuckled and walked out of the room. Spock chose not to comment on the matter.

“May I enter?” he asked.

“Sure,” she stepped aside, “Would you like a drink?” The door slid shut and she slid past him towards the drinks.

“No thank you. I came to see if you had properly recovered from earlier. May I sit?” he gestured to the bed.

“Of course. And I’m fine really, it was just very different from being on Earth. I had originally planned to teach at the Academy, not end up on a Fleet ship,” she laughed lightly and poured herself some more wine.

“Do you not enjoy space travel?” he asked as she sat next to him.

“I just really don’t know how helpful I can be on a ship. With teaching, I’d be passing on knowledge to others that may benefit them in a fight. But on the ship, what am I really doing to benefit the team?” She took a sip and he pondered this for a moment.

“I believe you could benefit the Enterprise more than you can with a class. Your knowledge is put to better use in practice rather than on paper. You can still educate others while here and see what they’ve learned put in action.”

“I suppose you make a valid point,” she smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink? Do you ever actually drink?” she raised an eyebrow. He seemed amused by her question.

“On occasion, but I find that chocolate has much more of an effect than alcohol alone.”

“It what,” she blinked rapidly.

“Were you not aware of this?” he raised an eyebrow.

“I-no! I always thought I was just high on sugar or something. I mean obviously it’s not the same effect on me vs you but, wow. Things I wish my grandfather had taught me. He doesn’t know I drink though,” she laughed.

“Did he teach you a lot?”

“He taught me enough I think, mainly the language which my father also helped me practice. But I think there’s a lot of technical things I don’t understand. For example, I never really understood the bondmate thing? I’m not sure if that’s the proper term. Or the mind-melding! He mentioned it like once and never brought it up again,” she smirked and drank more.

“Well, perhaps at the time you were too young to understand the concepts. Bonding is done between two individuals during their ceremony, where their minds are bonded telepathically and they can understand each other on a deeper level. Mind-melding can be done between a Vulcan and another individual through our fingertips,” he extended his hand and she glanced at it suspiciously. “We can connect our emotions and thoughts through the meld.”

“You can do it maybe, but I doubt I could initiate it on my own,” she poked at his hand.

“Try, I will hold back and allow you to attempt connection,” he moved his hand closer and she eyed it. Cautiously, she placed her fingertips on his and tried to reach out mentally. He waited patiently as she tried to search for him.

After a few moments, she felt a strange warmth that quickly became overwhelming, so she yanked her hand back. He looked at her curiously.

“You held back.”

"I don’t know what I did in the first place.” She shook her hand and looked at it like it would be different.

“Mentally, I felt you searching but when I returned the connection it felt as if you were suppressing yourself. Then you pulled away.” He moved his hand back to his lap and watched her face shuffled through a variety of expressions.

“It’s very exposing, someone understanding my emotions on that level. Maybe someday, but not today,” she shook her head. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it, rethinking what he was going to say.

“If you would like to practice another time, you may.” He stood, “I should excuse myself. I do not want to overstay my welcome.”

“Wait,” she stood as well, “if you ever want to have chocolate together, I’m available,” she smirked.

“I appreciate the offer, though I will have to say no for now, as the last time I had too much I had an interesting night,” his tone changed slightly.

“Interesting how?” she asked curiously. He hesitated before answering.

“You are not the only one who has spent time with Jim privately. Though I would ask that this information remains between us only.” She tried not to react expressively but was failing.

“I um, I will keep that information to myself. But, I would ask that some other time I hear more about this because I’m, curious,” she said, trying to hide her obvious curiosity.

“Perhaps over a game of 3D chess sometime soon.”

“Sounds good,” she smiled. He excused himself and left her frantically trying to find tutorials on how to play 3D chess.

* * *

About a week had passed and Spock coming by for a bit after the Alpha shift became routine. About an hour or so after the shift, he would show up at her door and stay for a while, chatting about various topics and teaching her more about her Vulcan heritage. She wasn’t ready to try the mind-meld again, but was happy to learn more about herself, even if it was only a small part of who she was.

He hadn’t mentioned anything about Jim yet though. She didn’t want to ask since they technically agreed to discuss it over 3D chess, but was starting to wonder if they would ever actually play. She decided to change things up and show up at his door this time, exactly one hour after the Alpha shift.

Spock’s door slid open and he had a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“Cara, I was not expecting you.” He moved aside to let her in.

“Thought I’d change it up today,” she smiled and entered. The door slid shut and she took a few steps into the room, comparing the size to hers. “Your room is nice, simple, larger than mine. Your bed is bigger than mine too, damn,” she smirked.

“Given my status on the ship as First Officer, it is only logical that I be given a room equal to the importance of the position.”

“Mmhmm. Oh hey!” she noticed the 3D chess board and went over to it. “We can finally play, if you don’t mind me learning as we go. The tutorials I watched weren’t as helpful as learning while playing, in my opinion.”

“Of course, I was actually planning on inviting you over this evening for a game.” He walked over and pulled her chair out for her. She smiled shyly and sat. He went to the other chair and sat, checking the pieces on the board to ensure they had been placed properly. “I take it you have never played before?”

“Nope. My mother was much more of an outdoor adventure person, so we never really played board games. I was an energetic child, to say the least,” she laughed a little, “But I’m happy to sit and play, as long as I get what’s promised.”

“You are eager to hear about my night with Jim, which will inevitably leave you eager to hear about my relationship with Uhura as the two stories are connected.” He turned the board so she could make the first move.

“I’m only asking to hear about Jim, anything else you choose to disclose is at your leisure.” She leaned forward and made the first move.

“You don’t seem surprised to hear that I was previously with Uhura. Has Sulu mentioned it before?” He studied the board and made his first move. He currently had a 93.7% chance of winning.

“The first night we met yes, he brought it up. But he didn’t know much about it, how it started or ended. He knows she wasn’t happy about it but won’t tell anyone what happened. I figured it would come up eventually given the amount of time we have been spending together.” She made her next move.

“I will give you the choice then for tonight. Which would you rather hear about?” He made his next move and took her piece from the board. His chance of winning was now 94%.

“My gut says Jim,” she smirked and made a move.

“Interesting,” he said as he considered his next move. “Once Jim found out about the termination of our relationship, he insisted that one could not just move on from a three-year relationship without some sort of emotional turmoil. Despite my protests, he managed to convince me to join him for a few drinks and a chat.” He made his next move and removed another one of her pieces. His chance of winning rose to 96.3%.

“I mean, he had a point. Doesn’t really matter how or why a relationship ends, being with someone for that long has an effect. Even if we don’t want to admit it.” She pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged and made a move, finally removing one of his pieces. His chance of winning went down to 95.7%.

“As I explained to Jim, it was a calculated and well-thought-out move on my part,” he made another move, “But we still had drinks and chocolate, and eventually began discussing his sexual encounters. He mentioned having less luck with men and I found that illogical.” He calculated his chance at winning to now be 98.1%. She didn’t catch onto his game plan and focused more on what he said.

“I mean, I’ve always had better luck with men over women so I get it.” She made her move. “People lean towards who they have success with, less rejection that way.”

“He explained that concept to me, drunkenly. Then he mentioned finding me attractive as well. I, somewhat inebriated as well, asked if he wanted to ‘take his shot at me.’ He thought I was joking at first, but I was serious.” He made his move and removed an important piece of hers. His chance of winning was 99%. She sighed and took longer to ponder her next move.

“You’re always serious,” she chuckled. He nodded in agreement.

“I had to ask him directly if he wanted to have sex, because he wasn’t understanding what I was suggesting. Which is why I prefer to be straight-forward instead of suggesting things.” She made her move and took one of his pieces, leaving her King exposed. His chance of winning was 100%.

“So, if you wanted to have sex with someone, you would just ask them?”

“That would be the logical approach. Though he has informed me that some humans would find it too direct. Why do you ask?” he raised an eyebrow. She sat back in her chair and blushed lightly.

“Sulu thinks you’re trying to sleep with me, but I told him that I thought you would’ve just asked if you wanted to. Which means I was right,” she smirked.

"I would have asked yes, but my intention is to court you, not to have a ‘one-night stand,’ as I did with Jim.” He made his final move. “Check-mate.”

“What?”

“I have captured your king; you have no logical move-” She interrupted him.

“No, no not that I know what check-mate is. I was referring back to the courting me thing,” she paused, “Didn’t mean to interrupt you, I’m just behind on what’s happening apparently.” She sat up and watched his minor confusion.

“Understandable. Though I felt my intentions have been clear from the beginning,” he began to reset the pieces, “I believed it would be best to take time to learn about each other to know if we would be compatible in a relationship. Jim explained this to me as the human courting period.”

“Why are you courting me, exactly? Because for as long as I have been flirting around, I have never had any success with Vulcan’s so I wasn’t even going to try to hit on you.” She readjusted her seating position and he finished resetting the board.

“It would have come up when I invited you to dinner, I’m sure. I’m courting you because I find you attractive, and I believe we would work well together as a couple.” He sat back and had a small smile on his face. “I did consider being upfront with my intentions, but I felt this would be unwise. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

“I respect that, and appreciate it. You’re more than welcome to continue,” she smirked, “But at some point I am going to have to hear about what happened with Uhura.”

“It would only be logical to share that information.”

“Good,” she smiled, “Sooooooo, with Jim, is he a bottom? He seems like a bottom,” she laughed.

“He is indeed. The next morning we agreed that it was only a one-time thing and resumed our friendship and professional relationship without any issues. As far as I am aware, he has not told anyone. You are the only one I have shared this information with, and I will inform you about my relationship with Uhura another day. Perhaps after dinner.”

“That sounds like a plan,” she smiled. “So, where is she anyway? Sulu said she was on the ship.”

“She’s on the bridge with us. Have you not been introduced?”

“Apparently not,” she raised both her eyebrows, “Nothing has happened on those shifts, and I haven’t met the few other people in the back. Don’t introduce us though, I’ll figure it out or ask Sulu. I don’t want to make things awkward.”

“Understandable. Would you like to play another game?”

“Only if you teach me how you won so quickly.”

* * *

The next day on the bridge was fairly mellow. Cara and Sulu were having a discussion about Spock in Japanese when Jim groaned.

“I feel like you’re talking about me because you keep looking in this general direction while smirking,” he sat up and feigned offence. Cara chuckled.

“We’re not don't worry. If you’d really like to know what we’re saying, you should consider learning Japanese.” Sulu nodded in agreement.

“I’m trying to learn Vulcan,” he gestured to Spock, “I have an excellent teacher.” Spock turned around from what he was doing and nodded to Cara who started speaking to Kirk in Vulcan.

 _"Are you actually learning how to speak it or are you just picking up phrases here and there from Spock?”_ she raised an eyebrow.

“Ok that’s not fair, you’re part Vulcan! I’m just a human trying to learn,” he chuckled. One of the crew members on the bridge turned around in her chair and spoke.

“You’re Vulcan?” Cara looked over and was quick to assume this was Uhura. Spock spoke up before she could reply.

“She is one-third. Her father is half, as I am, and her grandfather is full Vulcan. She is familiar with the language and some of the heritage, the rest I have been teaching her. Naturally, she is more familiar with the language than Kirk is.” Uhura nodded and turned back to what she was doing. Jim watched the interaction and raised an eyebrow at Cara who shook her head, indicating they shouldn’t discuss it now.

* * *

After the shift, Jim and Cara were in the lounge chatting over some drinks about Spock. He had excused himself to engineering and asked Cara to come find him once she was done here. Jim already knew Spock had a thing for her so focused his attention elsewhere.

“Is it strip chess?”

“No! I’m still learning how to play, if we did strip chess I’d be naked in like 5 moves,” she laughed. Jim chuckled and sipped his drink.

“So, how much do you know about him and Uhura?”

“Essentially nothing aside from the length of their relationship. I will tell you something interesting I know though. You, Captain, are a bottom,” she laughed. Jim sighed, grabbed her drink, poured in into his, downed it, and sat back in his chair.

“So that he tells you. I hope with the confidence that you won’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t don’t worry. I’ve no reason to. But to be fair, he told me that before I knew what his intentions were with me. I only asked about Uhura after that and he said he’d tell me over dinner sometime soon,” she paused, “But honestly, just based off of the bridge interaction today, I’m not sure I want to know. It was uncomfortable on the bridge after she found out I was part Vulcan. How long ago did they break up?” she asked. Jim leaned forward and she did the same, so others couldn’t overhear.

“About 7 months ago. Him and I hooked up 2 weeks after that. He dumped her, said it was the logical thing to do because they weren’t compatible. The issue arose when he mentioned that he had known for a while they weren’t compatible. She thought he was leading her on, he thought he was doing his best to make it work until it couldn’t. I think he wanted it to work, it just didn’t. I have no clue how they got together though, and at this point I don’t want to ask,” he shrugged. “Fair warning, she does speak Vulcan, so anything you two say to each other on the bridge, she’ll be able to understand.”

“Solid warning, thank you,” she leaned back into her chair, “I just hope she doesn’t resent me if we do end up together. I feel like that wouldn’t be fair to me considering I didn’t even know I was being courted until he told me,” she laughed lightly.

“I don’t think she’d resent you, I think she’s just still upset about how it ended. They never discussed it afterwards so there’s a lot of tension, mainly from her. Spock wouldn't let her say anything to you anyway, he’s a very protective person,” he paused, “Another thing, since I’m sharing, when they were together I had to harass him for information. He never spoke about her, only ever said she was doing well. You, however, he won’t shut up about, well for him at least,” as he said this, Uhura walked in. Cara turned and they looked at each other for a moment before Uhura went to join her friends. Cara looked back at Jim, slightly uncomfortable.

“Yea I’m going to leave now and meet him in engineering.” They both stood.

“I’m going to head to my room and work on some reports before I get lectured by my Frist Officer,” he laughed. He walked her out of the lounge and they went their separate ways.

* * *

Cara wandered around the engineering for a bit before she found Spock having a conversation with someone. She was a bit excited to see him knowing his interest in her was genuine. Spock noticed her as she approached.

“Cara, you made it. This is our Chief Engineer, Scotty,” he gestured towards Scotty who looked at her curious for a moment before snapping his fingers.

“I know you!” he exclaimed. Spock’s mood changed slightly and she quickly interjected.

“We didn’t sleep together, just met some years ago when I was proposing one of my custom weapons,” she smiled. Spock relaxed and Scotty glanced between them with a raised eyebrow.

“Not sure why that’s relevant, but it’s good to see you again!” he gave her a quick hug.

“It was good to see you again too. We’ll have to catch up soon,” she smiled

“Excuse us, we have a previous engagement,” Spock nodded politely to excuse them. Scotty just looked at them curiously before returning to his work. She followed Spock out of engineering and to the elevator, both staying silent until they were alone in the elevator.

“I apologize for the assumption earlier, it was rude of me to think that's how you two knew each other,” he said as he stared straight ahead. She looked over to him and laughed a little.

“I’m not mad about it. It was an understandable assumption to make, given my history.”

“It was still inappropriate for me to assume.”

“Would you rather me be mad at you?” she raised an eyebrow.

“No, but I felt it important to apologize as I do not wish to upset or judge you,” he turned to look at her and the elevator stopped, doors sliding open.

“I appreciate that,” she smiled and followed him to his room.

“What would you like to eat?” He walked over to the replicator and she sat at the table.

“I didn’t realize we were having dinner tonight; I would have worn something other than my uniform,” she laughed, “Though maybe my uniform is actually more attractive,” she glanced down and he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yea um, I guess chicken?”

“You would be attractive in anything,” he paused, “you would also be attractive naked.” He turned to the replicator to input her dinner choice and she gawked at his boldness.

“You’re not wrong, and I appreciate the forwardness” she laughed, “Actually, I’m going to slip off my top, I have a tank top on underneath, I just feel too official in this.” He brought her dinner over.

“I have no objections,” he said as he went back to get his own dinner. She smiled and slipped it off, adjusting her tank top so it wasn’t as low as it had slid during the day. It was light blue and fairly fitted, with thin straps. He brought his dinner over, grabbed them some wine, and sat.

“Oh I see we’re drinking,” she said excitedly.

“A good dinner date has some wine to go along with the meal.” He filled their glasses and raised his to cheers hers. She smiled and cheered, then drank some and began eating.

“An even better dinner date has you discussing your ex,” she laughed, “Actually no don’t take that advice. This is an exception,” she shook her head. He very lightly smirked.

“Due to the potential of interactions on the bridge with her, it is only logical that you are aware of the extent of our relationship if you and I are to attempt to begin one.”

“Of course. Plus, Kirk was talking about tension on her side so it would be better for me if I knew what exactly was going on,” she began to eat as he began his story.

“Before we were on the Enterprise, she was a top student and had great potential. Once she was no longer in my class, she began flirting with me. However, I was unaware of her intentions for a month because I was focused on my work. She decided to be forward with me and I saw no harm in it as she was no longer my student and at the time it seemed the most logical decision,” he paused to eat before continuing, “As our relationship continued it became less logical, with her asking more of me than I was prepared to share. I understood of course, the desire for intimacy in all its forms, but I was not at a point where I wanted to share that much of myself with another person.” She nodded in agreement.

“I understand that. You have to be ready for something like that, open to it. Someone asking it of you when you’re not ready is a difficult situation.” She drank more wine and he poured her another glass.

“I had not planned to have a relationship at that point in my life, and it reflected in the relationship. After two years, I realized it was no longer logical to continue. However, I felt that it would be rude of me to not continue to try, perhaps it would change if I tried to open up more. However, it did not and I contemplated ending it for a month before I did. When she asked why, I was honest with her. She became angry with me and said that I had been leading her on this entire time. While I understood her anger, I believed what I had done made sense. Jim later explained to me that I should not have said about half of the things I said in the moment. We have not spoken about it since, though the discussion became one-sided quickly as she grew upset. We only speak if it is related to a mission.” He finished his food and sat back a bit in his chair. Cara pondered what to say as she finished hers.

“I don’t want to tell you what to do, but honestly I feel like it’d be a good idea to maybe talk to her again. It’s one thing to end a relationship and never see them again, but you have to work with her everyday. It would be illogical to continue avoiding the issue when it can be discussed and settled. Plus, maybe since time has passed she would be more understanding of your side. It sounds like you understand hers,” she sat back as well and gave him a sweet smile.

“You make a logical point. I have considered it before, but was held back by something I don’t fully understand,” he stood and cleared their plates. Cara sighed and pondered this.

“To put it simply, it’s fear or anxiety. Nobody wants to talk to their ex, especially when things ended badly. It’s easier to avoid conflict than to potentially spark it. However, in this situation the conflict would be best resolved rather than left untouched. If she sees you with me, it will only build as she’ll question what has changed.” She finished her second glass and looked at the bottle, debating if she’d be judged for a third.

“In that case I will speak to her within the week,” he paused, “Would you like more? I selected this bottle specifically for you,” he said after noticing her staring at the wine.

“I mean, if you’re offering,” she chuckled. He poured her another glass and finished his.

“If I may, I noticed a significant scar on your right shoulder as I was removing your plate. What happened?”

“Oh yes that. So I got stabbed in a bar fight about a year ago, but I don’t think it healed properly because if I sleep weird or am too active it gets sore and then I get a pain up through my neck. I try to go get it massaged when I can because that helps, but I think I need to get it looked at by a better doctor,” she rolled her shoulder and drank some more.

“Tomorrow you should go to Med Bay and have our Doctor look at it. He is excellent, though he is opinionated,” he said with a light smirk.

“Sounds like my kind of Doctor,” she raised her glass to that and finished it.

“Would you like a massage now? I am rather skilled with my hands,” he said with confidence. She blushed and bit her bottom lip.

“Yes that sounds amazing,” she nodded. He stood and gestured for her to come sit on the bed. She stood, went over, and settled at the edge of the bed with him positioning himself close behind her. She pulled her hair behind her ear and out of his way. He examined the scar, lightly pressed his thumb around it to see if he noticed any obvious knots or issues and began his massage. He focused on the area around the scar and her neck, noticing some tension. She sighed contentedly.

“It does feel odd, which explains why it is so easily irritated.” She just nodded in agreement. He slid his left hand to the base of her neck and let it rest there for a moment as he continued massaging with his right hand. She didn’t seem to mind so he slid his right hand to her chin, turning her head just enough to place a light kiss on the corner of her mouth. She immediately turned more to kiss him properly, placing her hand atop his. He returned the kiss eagerly which flipped a switch in her brain.

She quickly moved onto his lap, hardly breaking the kiss, and pushed him back onto the bed. He didn’t resist but after some passionate making out, she pulled away from air and processed what happened.

"Shit I’m so sorry,” she tried to sit up but he wrapped his arms around her and held her down lightly. She looked guilty and he gave her another light kiss.

“I would have stopped you if I was not happy with the situation. I’m much stronger and could have held you back easily. However, if you would like to stop, we can.” He released her to give her the opportunity to get up.

“No, no I just didn’t want to rush you into anything. I’m rather eager when it comes to these things and I get carried away in the moment,” she blushed deeply.

“Would you like to get carried away again?” he asked with a bit of a devious smirk on his face. She bit her lip and nodded.

“Very much so.”

* * *

The lights in Spock’s room came on an hour before the Alpha shift. He didn’t need much of an alarm because his body was well trained. Cara, however, buried her face in his pillow. Her back was pressed against his chest and both his arms were wrapped around her. However, with the lights he moved a bit and nudged her lightly.

“We have to be on the bridge in an hour,” he said softly. She groaned and rolled over to face him.

“An hour? I normally get up two hours before to shower and get ready…,” she placed a quick kiss on his lips, “And now you’re going to make me late!” she whined.

“I have no doubts that you can get ready quickly and be on time,” he pulled her close and she buried her face in his neck.

"Not if you keep me in bed…” she mumbled as she nearly dozed off again.

“Very well.” Quickly, but smoothly, he released her and got up to get ready for the day. She laughed and got up, throwing her clothes on with speed.

“I’ll see you in an hour,” she placed a kiss on his cheek and hauled ass back to her room. Thankfully, she didn’t run into anyone on the way that would question where she was. She got ready as quickly as she could and realized as she was getting dressed that her shoulder was worse off than it was before due to the physical activity from the night.

* * *

“I’m not late!” she declared as she rapidly walked onto the bridge. Jim chuckled and watched her practically throw herself into her chair.

“Yea sorry, had the wrong alarm for this morning and lost an hour,” she shrugged, then made a face at the pain in her shoulder. She tried to roll it out, but Spock didn’t find this acceptable.

“If your shoulder is causing you pain perhaps you should go to Med Bay to have it looked at.” Kirk nodded in agreement.

“It’s fine really, just a bit sore is all. Won’t stop me from doing my job,” she smiled. Kirk was going to drop it but Spock raised an eyebrow at her, and everything clicked in his brain. He chuckled lightly.

“Spock, why don’t you escort her to Med Bay. I have a feeling that she won’t go on her own. Best to get these things looked at,” he nodded and had a bit of a devious smirk on his face. Spock nodded and walked over to her. She groaned and glared at Kirk.

“Fine, but I’m coming straight back here,” she pointed at him and stood. Spock led her off of the deck and spoke once they were alone on their way to Med Bay.

“I feel as though I should apologize. There is no doubt in my mind that your pain today was caused by me last night.”

“Don’t you dare apologize for what was, without a doubt, the best sex of my life.”

“I concur,” he said with a small smirk. They walked into Med Bay where Bones was working on some paperwork on his PADD. He looked up and sighed.

“Spock, Spock’s friend,” he nodded towards her. “What can I do for you all?” Spock looked at Cara who spoke.

“My shoulder is acting up, it’s from an old injury. I don’t think it ever healed properly and the doctor I had was terrible,” she rolled her shoulder again and grimaced at the pain.

“Come sit, I’ll take a closer look,” he gestured towards one of the beds and she went to sit. Spock followed closely and stood next to her as Bones gathered his equipment. “What caused it to act up again?”

“Um, sex,” she said with a slight grin.

“Must have been some sex. Would you mind taking off your top, if you have something on underneath. I’ll get a much more accurate scan of your shoulder if there’s no material in the way,” he said. Bones didn’t openly judge people, with the exception of Jim, but he was prepared to scold her for neglecting her shoulder health. He began entering some information on his device while she slipped off her uniform shirt. She had a sports bra on underneath, which she deemed appropriate for the situation.

“I think it’s muscle that didn’t heal properly because the knife went pretty deep and the doctor didn’t do much aside from stitch up the wound,” she poked at her shoulder. Bones looked up from his and his jaw slightly dropped.

“Good God woman what happened?” he said as he processed the mirage of bruises around her lower neck area. It was fully covered by the uniform top and she honestly hadn’t even noticed. “It looks like you were attacked by a wild animal.” Both her and Spock looked at the marks.

“I told you I had sex,” she shrugged, “I got bitten, it’s fine these don’t hurt. The shoulder is what hurts.”

“I’ll be giving you something for them regardless,” he gave her a look and began to scan her shoulder. She glanced at Spock who seemed rather proud of himself. “Well, you were right about the other doctor being terrible. Your muscle didn’t heal correctly and is scarred in such a way that any major activity or even movement will cause it to tighten up. My recommendation would be to reopen the wound and stitch it up properly so the muscle can heal correctly this time. I would also be injecting some different things to help with the healing process, and checking on it everyday.”

“How long do you think it’d take to heal properly if you did that?”

“No longer than a week, I know what I’m doing. But I’d be pulling you from your duties until it’s healed. Bedrest, actual rest, not sex,” he said sternly.

“Fine,” she glanced at Spock again.

“I will excuse myself then as I am not needed. I will check on you this evening,” he nodded towards Cara and left. Bones watched him go and raised an eyebrow.

“I never took Spock for a biter,” he said flatly. Bones had been around long enough to know when Spock was being expressive, and his comment about checking on her later was enough for him to figure it out. Cara blushed deeply and cleared her throat.

“Let’s just focus on the shoulder and keep the other information confidential. You can lecture him later, and privately,” she gave him an innocent smile. He nodded and prepared for the minor operation.

* * *

Cara, who now had a hoodie, an arm sling, and was slightly high from the pain medicine, had wandered her way to Spock’s room instead of going to her room. The door opened for her despite him not being there, which led her to believe he had programmed it to respond to her as well. She took a nap in his bed, ate some food, and was practicing 3D chess when the door chimed. She pranced over to it and opened it, finding Jim at the door.

“Oh hey, how did you get in here?” he asked, somewhat surprised.

“It opened for me when I walked up to it. Spock’s not here, I’ve just been here waiting for him to get back. Wanna come in?” she stepped aside and swung her good arm dramatically for him to come in. He laughed a bit and came in.

“I was looking for Spock but since you’re here...I want updates!” He sat in the lounging chair and got comfortable. She went to sit with him and laughed.

“Oh we had a great talk last night over dinner. Found out why Uhura was upset, which made sense. Told him they should probably talk since they still work together. Then we had sex and he fucked up my shoulder,” she laughed. “Actually that reminds me, did he bite you? Like, Bones got mad at me and gave me cream for all of the bruises I have.” His jaw dropped.

“Bite? Fuck no he did not!” he laughed. “Can I see?” Before she could respond, the door slid open and Spock walked in.

“Cara, you’re meant to be resting. Jim, this is a surprise.” He came over to them and set his PADD down on the table.

“I did rest! I took a nap in your bed, in your room, that opened for me. Jim got here a few minutes ago looking for you,” she gestured to Jim with a smile.

“I informed the computer that you have full access to my room at all times. It was the logical decision if we are to pursue a romantic relationship.”

“It’s the most logical decision because you absolutely wrecked me last night,” she winked. Jim laughed a bit and Spock gave a slight smirk.

“Jim,” he said, turning somewhat to the Captain, “Why are you here?”

“I honestly came for updates on your love life, but I’ve already gotten them so I’ll leave you to it,” he stood and pat Spock on the shoulder, “Go easy on her tonight,” he said with a wink before exiting the room. Spock sat with Cara and brushed some hair behind her ear.

“How are you feeling? Is your shoulder in pain?”

“I’m fine Spock, really,” she smiled sweetly, “The pain meds helped a lot, I’m just bored. I don’t like being cooped up, and honestly changing is a bitch now.”

“You need to continue to rest. You may stay in my room until your shoulder is healed, perhaps you will find my books of interest,” he paused, “I can assist you with your clothing as needed.”

“Oh I’m sure you can,” she leaned forward and kissed him, “But you know we realistically can’t have sex until my shoulder is better.” He moved closed and kissed her jaw.

“I think you’ll find that I am quite skilled in other areas of pleasure.”

“I think I’ll need some evidence,” she said with a smirk. He kissed her and gently, but effectively, moved her to the bed.

* * *

Cara sat in Med Bay a week later, waiting for Bones to finish his examination of her shoulder. She was anxious to get back to work and felt fine, so she was hoping that she was all healed.

"Alright, you’re cleared to go back to work. I would still recommend trying to relax for a few days though,” he said slightly sternly.

“I know I will. I just want to be back on the bridge. I’m beyond bored during the day,” she sighed.

“You’re also due for your monthly shot. I assume you still want it?” he said while reading her information on his PADD.

“Yes absolutely. I’m not trying to get pregnant yet,” she said with a weird laugh. Bones just gave her a look and prepared the shot.

“Well, when you are ready you have to tell me so I can monitor your health the first month off of the shot,” he stepped forward and lifted her shirt a bit, “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” she tensed a bit and he gave her the shot. She sighed and relaxed, pulling her uniform shirt over her tank top. “I hate that so much, always makes me nauseous for a bit.”

“I can give you something for that.”

“No it’s fine, no more shots I’m good,” she shakes her head. He chuckled and entered her updated information.

“You can go now.”

“Thanks,” she hopped off the table and went back to Spock’s room to kill time until the end of the shift. She contemplated returning to the bridge but decided an hour and a half wasn’t worth it. Instead, she decided to tidy up Spock's mostly clean room and move some more clothes into his closet.

She put on some cute shorts and her favorite hoodie when the door chimed. Confused, she went over to open it, somewhat expecting to find Jim there. Instead, she found Uhura standing there awkwardly. Both were surprised to see each other. 

“Oh...hey. Um, Spock’s not here...as you can probably see by him not being here…” Cara said awkwardly. She really didn’t know how to speak to Uhura and nobody went to Spock’s room looking for her (except for maybe Jim).

“It’s alright. I was just hoping we could talk but I can return later. Do you know when he’ll be back?” she asked politely, trying to not add to the awkwardness.

“I honestly never know. I figured he was down in engineering. I can let him know you came by if you’d like,” she nodded assuringly.

“That’s ok. I can catch him another time, it’s not important.”

“Uh ya sure sounds good,” she smiled and stepped back so the door would slide shut. She waited a few minutes before heading to Jim’s room to discuss this somewhat awkward encounter.

* * *

They had consumed about two bottles of wine when Spock entered. He had exclusive permission to enter Jim’s room, as Cara does with his. Cara was sprawled out on the couch and Kirk was on the floor nearby; both were somewhat oblivious to Spock’s presence as they continued their odd conversation.

“I’m just saying that it may be more breathable! I don’t know enough about men's underwear to know, I sleep naked!”

“And what about Spock???”

“Given that we have spent a night together Jim you should know what I sleep naked as well,” Spock spoke up. Both Jim and Cara jumped lightly and Jim pointed at him.

“How long have you been standing there?” he sat up a bit with a goofy grin.

“Long enough. I’ve come to collect Cara for the evening.”

“Ohhhhh I’m being collected,” she said with a giggle. She sat up a bit and held her arms out to be picked up. Spock gave the slightest hint of a smirk and lifted her gently.

“I would suggest making your way towards the bed Jim, and getting some rest.” Jim just nodded and waved them off. Spock proceeded to carry Cara back to his, their, room and gently placed her in bed. “What did the Doctor say about your shoulder?” He went to grab her some water and undress.

"He said it’s all good! Just like still rest a lil but it’s good,” she said with a smile and thumbs up. Spock was amused by her somewhat drunken state. She pulled off her shorts and hoodie and pulled the blankets over her legs. She then patted the bed next to her with a smile, indicating that she wanted Spock to join her.

“I’ll join you momentarily.” He removed his clothes and brought water to her bedside table. “Drink that,” he said slightly sternly. She pouted but drank it anyway. He quickly got her a refill then joined her in bed. She drank a bit more before laying back to snuggle up against him.

“Uhura came by earlier.”

“Yes she told me. We spoke briefly following that, as we came across each other as I was heading back to the room.” She waited for a moment for more information before huffing.

“And?”

“Oh I wasn’t aware you wanted to hear about our conversation,” he turned to her and wrapped an arm around her. “She was more understanding of my side of things, and I apologized for the way I handled things. Then I made her aware of our relationship as I do not wish to cause tension by hiding it. I believe we are on good terms now and she holds nothing against you,” he paused and ran his other hand through her hair, “Are you happy?”

“Happy? With?”

“Our relationship.”

“She told you to check in with me didn’t she,” she said as a statement with a slight smirk. He remained silent and she laughed a bit before giving him a light kiss. “Trust me, I would tell you if I wasn’t. I have no reason to be unhappy, especially since I get to sleep in this bed.”

“It is a rather comfortable bed,” he placed a light kiss on her forehead, “I am happy as well.” He pulled her closer and she hummed.

“Good, cause I haven’t had a real relationship in like two years so I’m doing my best,” she said with a slight yawn.

“Your best is more than enough. Rest now, I’ve set an alarm for two hours before Alpha shift so you’re not rushing to get ready. Computer, lower the lights,” he pulled the blanket up over them and the lights dimmed until it was completely dark. Cara was already drifting off to sleep but was trying to stay awake. She moved so they were laying face to face and lightly brushed her fingers against his cheek.

“Will you show me again how to do the mind-meld thing?”

“Are you sure? You’re not completely sober and I do not wish to take advantage of you emotionally,” he said with concern.

“I’ve been thinking about this all day, it’s ok,” she smiled sweetly and reached down to hold his hand. While he was slightly hesitant, he trusted that she had given this some thought and opened his palm so she could mentally reach out.

After a moment, she felt everything he did, as he did her. It was slightly overwhelming but she was determined to figure this out. Everything felt warm, and she started to identify the warmth as his happiness and contentedness with everything. She didn’t fully understand the feelings she was projecting, but his genuine smile was enough for her. She wrapped both arms around him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. He knew he made the right choice with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to follow my Twitter for updates on my works: @SeleneLaufey  
> Updated on 1/5/2021


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